THREE police officers and a civilian worker have been suspended after a Liverpool man was found stabbed to death in his home.

THREE police officers and a civilian worker have been suspended after a Liverpool man was found stabbed to death in his home.

Merseyside police were criticised by MPs after it emerged that officers took several hours to respond to a 999 call from a neighbour who reported noises coming from Ian Pick's Old Swan home.

The 56-year-old, who had learning difficulties, was found murdered nearly 17 hours after that call.

A post mortem revealed he had been stabbed repeatedly in the leg.

The ECHO revealed at the time that police took hours to respond to the 999 call, found the house in darkness and deemed things to be "all correct".

But today the force suspended three officers and a member of support staff over the delay.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) will lead the investigation and decide what action, if any, should be taken against the four.

Officers from Merseyside Police are looking into what happened that night but the investigation will now be monitored by the IPCC.

Three teenagers - two males aged 17 and a 15-year-old - were charged with the murder of Mr Pick and are due to appear in court over the killing next week.

The youths were arrested in the three days after Mr Pick's body was discovered in his house in Cunningham Road last month.

Mr Pick had lived at the address on his own for several years after the death of his parents. He was known to social services as vulnerable.

Assistant Chief Constable Grahame Barker, of Merseyside Police, said: "Three police officers and a support staff member have been suspended whilst an investigation continues into the police response following the death of Ian Pick.

"Following claims of police delays the Force Professional Standards Department launched an inquiry."